Better Part of Me
by iMissNothing
Summary: Sirius&Marlene If I turn into another, dig me up from under what is covering the better part of me. I do not own the Harry Potter franchise all rights go to J.K. Rowling and other publishing parties involved.
1. Chapter 1

The weather was mild for an October afternoon. What should have been a chilling breeze that nipped at the rosy cheeks and noses of witches and wizards, instead offered a welcome warmth as the sun beamed down on the lush Hogwarts grounds. It was here Marlene McKinnon found herself revelling in the comforting embrace that the sun provided, as it sought to warm her porcelain skin. She had sprawled herself out underneath her favourite oak tree while she gazed at the scenery. Trees of all shapes and sizes, with leaves of all different colours decorated the vast castle grounds, becoming more and more dense as they neared the border of the forbidden forest. The Black Lake, that supposedly harboured a Giant Squid, had taken on an almost ethereal quality as the rays of sunshine reflected along the water creating a shimmer that stretched as far as the eye could see. Giving no indication of the great beast that lurked just beneath the surface. Although Marlene had never seen the Squid personally she suspected it was a gentle creature that didn't wish to be bothered, as there had never been any real reports of it making an evening snack of any students brave enough to take a dip, despite the horrific tales told to the first years. She often pondered if the Squid was simply shy and had come to enjoy the peaceful serenity of solitude as she had.

Marlene had always been very tame and reserved compared to other members of her house, preferring to keep to herself or alternatively with her nose buried deep in the latest dusty old book she had acquired from the library. She often wonder as to why she hadn't been sorted into a house more befitting of her demure nature. Perhaps Ravenclaw or even Hufflepuff. Upon further reflection however, she had come to accept she wasn't quite as welcoming and carefree, to be amongst the chipper Hufflepuff's. Nor was she as academically inclined as the elite Ravenclaws. Despite enjoying the splendours the Hogwarts library had to offer she always gravitated to more fanciful tales of adventure and discoveries of great witches and wizards and less so the cirriculum reading material. She often found herself trying to live vicariously through the characters in her books. Perhaps it was this longing for excitement and adventure that had placed her in Gryffindor. Although her inability to act on such impulses had made her quite closed off from other members of her house. The other Gryffindors tended to be a strong willed often rambunctious group. With the supposed courage of the lion on their house sigil, and they were proud of it. While Marlene admired the traits associated with the red gold house, she found that she lacked them. She was neither courageous, nor strong willed. Perhaps she could be loyal if she had anything to offer her loyalty to. Eventually Marlene came to enjoy the quiet moments under her oak tree most rather than involve herself with her peers.

She closed her eyes as the wind caressed the wisps of hair that had fallen free from the sloppy bun that rested against the nape of her neck. She inhaled the crisp air of fall and the comforting scent of the pine trees scattered about. However her senses were soon assaulted by a rather unpleasant musty smell that burned her nose. Pulling herself to sit upright she peered around the base of the tree trunk seeing a pair of long legs outstretched, crossed over one another in a carefree manner as a trail of smoke wafted from their general direction. She was shocked to realize another person had joined her under her tree while she had been too immersed in her thoughts to notice. Immediately Marlene felt a resentment towards the unknown intruder who was now polluting the once pleasing breeze. Dusting herself off and fixing the baggy uniform that enveloped her tiny frame, she made to confront the culprit who had violated her small sanctuary with the putrid smell of cigarettes. Gathering her wits she plucked up all the courage she could muster and marched around the trunk of the tree only to be stopped right in her tracks as she came to know the identity of the long legged stranger. There leaning against her precious oak tree with his eyes closed, resting a cigarette in a lazy fashion between his teeth as he rested both of his hands behind his head, was none other than Sirius Black.

Sirius Black was something of an anomaly within the Gryffindor house, and perhaps all of Hogwarts. With his perfectly sculpted aristocratic features, steely grey eyes and long dark locks that often fell down in front of his face, so much so that you could often spot him running a hand through them strictly out of force of habit in an effort to tame the stubborn tresses. Needless to say many a female of Hogwarts had questioned whether or not they were just as soft as they looked. Taking the word of the lucky few that were pretty enough to warrant a broom closet romp, yes, they were. However, Sirius Black was not just a pretty face by any means. He happened to be one of the four members of the Gryffindor troop that referred to themselves as "The Marauders". The four boys were notorious pranksters; often targeting Slytherins, Mr. Filch the caretaker, the occasional batch of first years, Teachers, and just about anyone who was unlucky enough to walk into the various traps and jinxes they had set up around the castle. Marlene recalled being a victim of a particularly tricky sticking charm they had placed on the books in the library back in third year. However, despite their childish hi jinxes the Marauders were the Golden Boys of Gryffindor. Each of them were particularly gifted with magic and did not hesitate to remind the student body of it with their annual start of term prank. This year it had taken the teachers a full four hours to remove the comically over sized fangs and garish green skin pigment from the Slytherins.

Remus Lupin, was the most tame of the bunch. However, he seemed to have a unruly appearance to him. Tall and lean with a messy mop of sandy hair and curious nicks and scars that were scattered about his face, yet his eyes were a warm inviting amber that softened his more abrasive features. He seemed to carry the more book oriented academics of the group and was a prefect in addition. He was obscenely book smart, but it was not without effort as he could be seen pouring over books in the library in his spare time when he was not out with his friends, turning a blind eye to their mischief. From what Marlene knew he seemed to be a very polite and genuinely nice person, and had even gone out of his way to make small conversation with her in some of his visits to the library. Poor boy had a terrible immune system though he was often missing regular lessons because of it.

Then there was Sirius Black's other half; James Potter. With his signature round spectacles and unruly hair, that never quite seemed to stay in one certain style, he was indeed a sight to behold. His impish, cocky nature that was the mastermind behind many a prank, combined with his natural aptitude for spell work, particularly transfiguration, astounded both teachers and peers alike. He had also recently obtained the coveted position of Captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and was dead set on ensuring that everyone was aware of it. Marlene thought him a tad pompous and arrogant at times but perhaps that was something he would grow out of in the future, though he had shown no signs of doing so as of late. Another thing that tended to define the existance of one James Potter was his obsession with Lily Evans. James had been carrying a torch for the pretty red headed prefect for over 5 years. Sadly for him, Lily had yet to reciprocate the feelings. It was common knowledge that Lily despised James Potter, as he had taken to tormenting her close friend Severus Snape. The feud between Potter and Snape for Lily's affections had been going on for years on end and sparked a strong ire between the two of them. However, Lily still remains oblivious to her friends affections and unimpressed by James' antics, but this does not seem to have deterred him in the slightest.

Finally, The last of the Marauders was Peter Pettigrew a relatively meek boy who resembled a rotund cherub. People often whispered that Peter was merely riding the coattails of the Marauders glory as he was not particularly smart or magically inclined. He assisted in pulling pranks and tagged along with the group but it remains a mystery how he came to fit in with the niche of pranksters. However, no one would dare say this to him lest they risk incurring the wrath of all the Marauders. They were a close knit group and when one was attacked all four of them retaliated. A formidable force to be dealt with. So it was there Marlene found herself frozen like a deer in headlights in front of one of the most intimidating boys at Hogwarts.

Seeming to sense her presence Sirius cracked an eye open to see who had come to interrupt his smoke break. He was rather surprised to see the tiny girl with wide doe eyes trembling before him.

Marlene was entirely unsure of what to do, she had gathered up enough courage to maybe tell some fourth year to buzz off, but she certainly did not have the sheer bravery needed to confront the Great Sirius Black. She began to panic as she felt his steely gaze on her, no doubt waiting to be addressed, and sputtered out the first thing she could.

"Th-Those'll kill you, ya know." she stammered. Mentally berating herself as she realized the redundancy of her statement.

Sirius Black seemed to be taken back for a moment by what she had blurted out. He repositioned himself underneath the tree; sitting up straighter and bringing his arms out from where he had tucked them behind his head. With a well practiced non chalance he plucked the cigarette from between his lips and brought it to the forefront of his gaze. He seemed to ponder the little white stick for a moment, as the grey smoke danced from the tip, before giving a small shrug and replacing it in his mouth taking a steady drag.

"Nah." He said with a tiny smirk resting on his handsome features. "That would be a much too boring way to go. If I'm going to kick the bucket I suspect it will be from a much more exciting event than death by cigarettes." It was almost comedic the casualway he spoke of his demise, as if he were discussing the weather.

Marlene felt slightly irked at the remark. Was he truly so arrogant he believed himself immune to the poisonous little sticks? Her annoyance grew as she watched him take another drag from the cigarette, the foul smoke drifting over to where she stood. Her nose scrunched up at the unpleasant odor. He may have enjoyed the toxic smoke filling his lungs, but that certainly didn't mean everyone did, the least he could do is show some form of consideration and leave. Before she could bite her tongue she found herself bodly letting him know just that.

"I suppose it would certainly be an ironic way to go after this conversation. However, not all of us are as immune to the effects, and smell, as you are. So if you wouldn't mind continuing your awful habit somewhere else." She said sharply glaring at the source of her ire resting gently between Sirius' fingers. However, her mind finally caught up to her mouth and registered exactly whom she had snapped at. A look over horror morphed onto her dainty features. Marlene had never been one to intiate confrontation by any means. But something about the self entitled Marauder currently situating himself underneath her tree, irritated her to a point she found herself making brash statements without considering the consquences.

In turn he seemed also slightly shocked by her abrasive request to remove himself from her presence. Very few people had ever told Sirius Black to more or less piss off. And even fewer had gotten away unscathed in doing so. He gazed at her with an incredulous look as he seemed to process the remark. Marlene contemplated running away then and there. She was positive people had been hexed for far less indiscretions against one of the Mauraders. Oak tree be damned!

However, instead of reaching for his wand to hex her into oblivion, he let an impish grin come across his features that made him resemble a child who had just gotten caught elbow deep in the biscuit jar. To Marlene's utter shock and relief he threw his head back and let out a barking laughter although made no move to vacate from his spot under her tree.

"Yeah I guess it would be pretty ironic if I were to drop dead from the little bastards now." He chuckled. "But why do I have to leave their are plenty of other trees for you to sit under and I happen to like this spot very much." The challenge in his tone was clear to Marlene as he grinned at her from his place against the tree base. He was toying with her now and Marlene McKinnon didn't appreciate it one little bit. She doubted he had grown incredibly attached to the oak tree in all of the five or so minutes he had been there. But for Marlene, this was her place, her sanctuary. She had laughed, and she had cried all under this very tree. It was special to her and despite her unsteady resolve and quaking knees she refused to let it become Sirius Blacks personal ash tray.

Sucking a deep breath into her shaky lungs she met his challenging gaze with a stubborn look of her own. "This is my spot." She squeaked, wincing as she realized she sounded like a three year old who hadn't gotten their way.

His barkish laugh returned at her words. "Your spot?! And what pray tell makes this your spot?" He said grinning devilishly at her once again.

"I-I've been coming here since first year." Marlene spoke stumbling over her words. "I think I'm somewhat entitled to this spot by now. It's quiet here. It lets me think." she mumbled softly as an after thought lowering her gaze to study the small scuffs along her shoes.

The grin had slowly faded from Sirius' face as he pondered the meek girl infront of him. One could clearly see she was more than a little intimidated by his presence which he found to be pretty amusing. Truthfully Sirius couldn't care less about where he enjoyed his cigarette, he was merely curious to see how far she might go if he pushed her a little. He half expected her to run away or simply faint on the spot, so he was more than intrigued when she stood her ground, despite her knobby little knees knocking together. Now, Sirius didn't consider himself to be a bully, only showing any true spite towards students he deemed had earned it. Clearly this place meant quite a bit to the girl and he could respect her standing her ground. Perhaps it was why she had been placed in Gryffindor like himself, he thought as he pondered her red and gold tie that had been haphazardly tossed around her scrawny neck. Although despite his best efforts he could not recall her name. He had seemed to vaguely remember having a class or two with her in previous years at Hogwarts. Had possibly seen her around the common room once or twice with her nose burried in a book. Yet her identity escaped him.

"What's your name?" He asked with his steely eyes penatrating her own doe like orbs. The sound of his voice making her jump slightly as it tore through the previous silence.

"M-Marlene. Marlene McKinnon." She answered in a breathy tone. Her name seemed to surprise him as his eyes flashed with breif recognition. He gave a small chuckle, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair pushing it back from his face. His impish grin once again returning to his features.

"So you're Marlene." He said with a cheeky look as he gave her a once over. Marlene nodded her head dumbly, oblivious to the meaning behind his words.

"Well I suppose it makes sense all things considered." Sirius contemplated out loud to himself, as he made to stand. Flicking his cigarette in another direction, which had burnt down to the nub in his neglect.  
"Well it was good talking to you McKinnon, thanks for letting me share your spot." He said with a wink as he turned and made his way back to the castle. Only to stop breifly in his tracks before whirling around to face her once more. "By the way, I'm Sirius Black." He said with a wolfish grin before turning back to once again resume his journey towards the castle.

"Maybe we will be seeing more of each other." He called back to her in a jovial tone not looking back to where Marlene stood rooted to the ground trying to decipher the meaning of his words. Completely dumbfounded, her mind working a mile a minute to process the encounter. Slowly she came to slump against the tree as she peered back at his figure casually waltzing over to the three other figures that had just emerged from the castle in the distance.

'That confrontation certainly could have gone much worse' she thought with a sigh of releif. Sirius Black was certainly a strange bloke, but never the less she was happy to have her little peice of Hogwarts back to herself. Yet a strange feeling of anticipation was settling into her stomach. Perhaps for Marlene, this year would be an adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

Remus Lupin was not having a good day. He was currently sitting in the library and had been mindlessly re-reading the same paragraph in his textbook for the past half hour. Unable to absorb any of the content he ran a frustrated hand down his face. His troubles had all started about a week ago when James had been on another of his long winded tangents about none other than Lily Evans.

 _"_ _I just don't see how she can be friends with a slimy git like Snivellus and not even speak to me. It's been three days what the hell did I do?" James had moaned, while Remus attempted to finish the remainder of his History of Magic essay. "It was a harmless prank for Merlin's sake! When is she going to stop being so sensitive about it and just forgive me already!"_

 _Remus thoughtfully recalled the eventful potions class in which James and Sirius had decided it would be hilarious to add a handful of Blowfly wings to Severus' potion. Unfortunately Severus had been partnered with Lily during that particular potions class. It was decided that when Lily had gone to the front of the classroom to grab the ingredients needed in the potion, Sirius would distract Snape while James tampered with the potion. Everything had gone according to plan until Lily made an early return from the front of the classroom just as the potion had begun to become volatile. James had tried to warn her. Really, he had. However, by the time poor Lily had registered exactly what was about to happen the potion had exploded leaving her and Severus covered in the concoction._

 _"James she had purple hives and had to cut off a good amount of hair from the disaster." Remus deadpanned, looking up from his essay, and James withered under his reproachful stare. "I think she's more than entitled to be a bit cross with you."_

 _"She wasn't supposed to be there though! Pete was supposed to keep her distracted up at the front!" James cried desperately._

 _"Come on mate, you're not still moaning about the potions incident." came the voice of Sirius as he stepped through the portrait door, Peter doddering behind him, and made their way to where their other friends were sitting around the massive fireplace. "Don't blame poor Wormtail here, it's not his fault he doesn't know how to talk to girls." he continued as he nudged Peter with his elbow. Peter gave him a sour look before taking a seat on the plushy maroon couch next to James. He began unwrapping a chocolate frog that had been in the pocket of his trousers for Merlin only knows how long, biting off the head in a brutish nature._

 _"I suppose your right. Ol' Wormy's never even had a girlfriend before." James snickered joining Sirius in his playful jesting towards their chubby friend. Peter turned redder than the couch he was currently occupying.  
"Well Remus hasn't either!" he said defensively through a mouthful of chocolate frog. Remus had stopped scribbling away at his essay only to turn a similar shade of rouge._

 _Truth be told Remus had had the opportunity to date a few girls here and there through out his years at Hogwarts. However, he had either ignored or rejected them all. It wasn't as though they were ugly girls, some had actually been rather pretty, and unlike James he wasn't holding out for one particular girl to acknowledge his affections. No, Remus was simply afraid. Not of commitment, but of himself. A relationship was getting to know someone else on a more intimate level. It meant spending time with another person, and for Remus that was dangerous. Perhaps she would figure out his secret. He would be rejected of course, it was only natural. Just because his friends had been tolerant of his condition did not mean the rest of the world would. Being in a relationship meant accepting another person for their faults and loving every aspect of them, and who could love a monster? No, Remus would not put that kind of emotional baggage on some poor girl._

 _"That's true Moony you've never really been with a bird before have you?" Sirius said while scratching at the light stubble on his chin."I know its not for lack of interest on their part. Ursula Barnes said her friend Molly fancies the pants off you, you know, the one with all the freckles." he continued._

 _Remus was unsure if he should mention the reason behind his hesitance to pursue any girls. He learned early on that the Marauders had a knack for calling him out on his pity parties when it came to his condition. They would refuse to accept such an answer and force him to face his insecurities about his affliction head on. Probably set him up on a date with some poor girl without his knowledge or consent. Normally these uplifting gestures were appreciated, however when it would involve another person it was a dangerous risk to take. So when Sirius offered him an easy out to the question, he took it._

 _"Don't tell me your hung up on one bird like Prongs? I don't think I could handle another case of that." Sirius moaned in an over exaggerated manner, while James leaned over to smack Sirius about the head for the remark. The two began playfully tussling around the common room, whipping pillows at the others head when the opportunity arose.  
"As a matter of fact thats exactly the reason." Remus muttered quickly turning his attention to scribbling at his essay once again. Hoping that his friends would not pursue the topic further.  
"What!?" Sirius and James exclaimed simultaneously as they halted their play fighting to whip their heads towards Remus. 'Shit.' Remus thought.  
"I-I was only joking." he quickly back tracked, cursing his own stupidity. Of course they would want to know more, it was Sirius and James for Merlin's sake.  
"No, no, no, no! There's definitely a girl!" James exclaimed in an almost giddy manner as he came to sit on the desk right in front of where Remus was writing. Remus sighed heavily, the progress of his essay once again being halted by the confounding topic.  
"Who is she Moony?" Sirius said wearing a shit-eating grin, joining James and leaning on the wood table. "Has she got a nice pair? Oh! Is it Mary McDonald? Have you seen the knockers on that one?" he continued with an elbow to Remus' side almost knocking him from his chair.  
"No, look I was only saying that beca-" Remus had started only to be cut off by James.  
"Oh wait I know! It's Raquel Dabbleforth!"  
"No James it's not-" Remus tried again in an exasperated fashion.  
"It's not Lily is it?!" James asked with a horrified expression.  
"What? No why would I-"  
"Oh thank Merlin You near gave me a heart attack there mate." James said with a breathy sigh before joining Sirius in throwing out more names. The two had gone through almost two thirds of Hogwarts' female population before a frustrated Remus had decided to simply throw out a name. Someone that was rather inconspicuous. Someone who Sirius and James would be unfamiliar with.  
"Well if it's not Polly Hanowitz then it's got to be Ava Rat-"  
Someone like…  
"MARLENE MCKINNON!" Remus exclaimed interrupting Sirius' latest guess.  
"Who?" James said bewildered.  
'Perfect' Remus thought with a smirk as he happily went about continuing his essay. Soon they would forget about all about the conversation topic and everything would return to the norm. Or so he had hoped._.

Not even three days after the incident, Sirius had strutted up to him sporting a massive grin while his eyes twinkled with impish delight.

 _"_ _I found her." he said with a devious look.  
"Found who?" Remus replied in a bewildered tone. Confused as to who it was Sirius had so proudly managed to locate. Unless it was…  
"Oh no." Remus moaned as his latest nightmare had been given life.  
"Oh yes!" Sirius exclaimed his eyes dancing with mischief. "I found Marlene McKinnon. She's cute Moony. A little on the small side for my taste but still." Sirius said as he ruffled Remus' sandy locks.  
"Is there anyway I could convince you not to share this with James, and pursue whatever it is you have planned" Remus brushing Sirius' hand away with irritation.  
"Nope." Sirius called making his way up the stairs that led to the boys dormitories to share his latest discovery with Peter and James._.

Since Sirius' unfortunate discovery, the three boys had taken to forcing he and Marlene together at every given opportunity. Whether it was pushing him into her in the corridors or jinxing her book bag to rip open spilling the contents everywhere, only to have Remus help her pick them back up out of guilt. Sirius had taken to implementing a favourite spell of his that created a rather strong gust of wind making the poor girls skirt fly up dangerously high, whenever she happened to be walking in front of them. So much so that she had taken to wearing a pair of shorts underneath the garment.

He really did feel bad for Marlene she was a sweet girl from what Remus had gotten out of their brief conversations. A little shy if anything, certainly not the type of girl to have earned the harassment she was currently being showered with.

His thoughts were interrupted by the rustic creaking sound of the library door opening signalling the arrival of someone. He glanced up from where he had been glaring at the table only to find the very object of his thoughts cautiously entering the library. She closed the door softly in an effort to keep the old doors creaking to a minimum. She began around the library for an empty table only to have her eyes widen and a look of fear wash over her features as she spotted Remus. Without a moments hesitation she spun around and tugged the giant door back open only to exit in a hurry. Remus instantly felt bad the poor girl was probably terrified of being bombarded with practical jokes as she had been the past week or so. Gathering his things quickly and shoving them in his bag he made to follow her.

"Marlene!" he called out to her as her little legs scampered down the corridor her head down and one hand on the rear hem of her skirt.  
"Marlene wait up!" he called again as he switched to a light jog, his long legs powering him forward to reach her side. He reached out to gently grab her shoulder in an effort to stop her and she jumped at the contact before turning to face him. She was trembling before him, head lowered as she scrunched up her face as though she was waiting for a rather painful hex to be delivered.  
"Marlene, look I know the past week has been rough on you and I just wanted to say-"  
"It's not funny you know." He heard a soft voice mutter as it stopped his apology. He looked down but could only make out the crown of her blonde locks from his height, her face still lowered refusing to look him in the eye.  
"I'm trying to be a good sport about it all." She continued. "I-I may not have been very n-nice to him but I hardly think it warrants this sort of treatment." her voice cracking towards the end.  
"What?" Remus said with a confused stare.  
"Sirius," she said softly in a miserable tone "that's why you're all doing this aren't you? Because I wouldn't let him sit and smoke his cigarette under the oak tree." Finally, looking up to meet his curious gaze. Remus was horrified to find her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Remus never did particularly well with crying, particularly crying girls. It made him uncomfortable and he was rather oblivious as to what to do.

"It's not funny." she whispered again letting one of the tears fall to cascade down her pale cheeks that had been dusted red - irritated from the salty water trailing down them. Remus felt his gut twist in guilt at the thought he was the cause for her distressed state.  
"No it's not Marlene, I know that. This isn't about Sirius. You didn't do anything wrong this is all my fault. This ones on me." He said looking away from her and awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. Marlene looked at him with confusion and let out a shaky breath. The past week of Hogwarts had been less than ideal for her. She had taken to skipping meals and taking longer routes to class solely to avoid the barrage of jinxes being sent her way from the four boys. She hardly thought her admonishing of Black's nasty habit had earned her the full ire of the Marauders yet she could not manage to produce another explanation as to why they had chosen to target her. Nor could she comprehend as to why Remus may have been at fault for her current tormenting. As far as she was currently convinced he seemed to be the only half descent one of the bunch.

"It's going to stop though Marlene, I swear it! This has gone on quite long enough." Remus continued chancing a glance down to her tiny figure, where he felt a jolt reverberate through his body. Her neck was craned to look up into his face, her eyes large as saucers gazed at him with unfiltered hope and trust. As if she truly believed he could right all of her problems with the flick of his wand.  
"It will?" she questioned softly, never breaking her penetrating stare. She trusted him to make things better. Remus felt the weight of her gaze and the tips of his ears began to burn in embarrassment. He quickly looked in the other direction breaking the brief connection they shared with an awkward cough.  
" have my word Marlene." Remus replied swallowing thickly, chancing a small smile in her direction which came out as more of a tight grimace much to his dismay. However she hardly seemed to mind as he heard her breathe a heavy sigh of relief.  
"Thank you Remus, you really are a good person you know." She said with a small smile in his direction. Gone were the heavy tears spilling from her eyes and Remus felt the twisting pressure in his stomach instantly release.

Had he been in a better mood, Remus could have laughed at the irony. Here was little Marlene McKinnon, who was almost the embodiment of innocence, telling him he was a good person. His thoughts took a darker turn as he realized; if only she could have known what lay just beneath the surface, she would have been running in the opposite direction screaming in horror. Remus returned her smile with a slightly bitter one of his own as they both made their way back to the common room a comfortable silence falling over the two, leaving Remus to stew in his thoughts. Without pity or judgement in her gaze, 'a good person' she had said. Remus could have scoffed at the idea. Some nights he barely considered himself to be a person at all, let alone a good one. Very few people had looked at Remus Lupin in such a manner as Marlene had. He was mostly accustomed to glances of pity from family members and even occasionally his friends, though they had made an effort to be discrete about it. If someone felt particularly bold, he was also familiar with people blatantly staring at the rugged scars that twisted and wound along his face. Disgust, fear, sadness, sympathy. Remus was familiar with them all. In the strangest of ways, Marlene's wide eyed stare brimming with trust, filled him with a rare almost incomprehensible feeling. He felt needed and useful. So often was he used to being the one looked after, whether it was from his friends or the strict matron in the hospital wing, he was constantly relying on others. Yet, here was little Marlene McKinnon vulnerable, and choosing to rely on him. It made him feel... good.

Upon arriving at the Gryffindor commons, Marlene gave Remus a small nod before heading up the stairs leading to the girls dormitories, while Remus began a slow trek in the opposite direction to confront his friends. He did not particularly relish in the idea of confrontation especially with the boys who had done so much for him. There was once a time where he had been scared to put a single toe out of line in fear they would abandon him and he would be left alone to brood in isolation. Yet the years of unshakable companionship were a testament to their solid friendship. They were a close knit group and there was not much that could come between the four boys. In fact, Remus was usually the one to speak up when a joke had gone too far, and in most cases the others had the good sense to respect his decision. With a resigned heavy sigh Remus knew it was high time he came clean to his friends, in hopes they would leave the poor girl alone.

Approaching the wooden door to the bedroom he shared with the others, Remus heard the unmistakable loud noises that told him his friends were inside- followed by a few crashes and the sound of furniture scraping against the hardwood flooring. While Remus often preferred a quiet atmosphere, he would be lying if he said he did not find some semblance of comfort in the warmth their noisiness created. Letting a small smirk fall onto his features as he thought of his best mates he reached out to pull the door open only to be greeted by a peculiar sight inside the room. The room itself was an absolute disaster, although that was to be expected of his roommates. Over the years at Hogwarts Remus had discovered that he was really the only one of the group who prioritized cleanliness. However his efforts to keep the dorm in any sort of organized state were in vain, as the other three boys were shockingly good at returning it to its chaotic mess. Sometime around third year Remus had given up on trying to keep the place tidy and instead sufficed for ensuring his section of the room was at least presentable. Yet it was not the state of the room that caused him to have a near panic attack at the sight that greeted him. As Remus entered the room his eyebrows shot to his hairline and he quickly scrambled to slam the door shut behind him. There in the middle of the room was a large black dog tumbling around with a giant stag who had what appeared to be a curtain tangled in its antlers, while a small rat scurried up the side of the banisters attached to the beds to avoid getting trampled. At the sound of the door shutting the animals froze in their rough housing to look at the pale wide eyed boy in their door way. While Remus was not so much shocked at the animals themselves, but rather the audacity that they would be in the middle of the dorm in broad daylight.

Upon discovering his condition in second year his friends had made it their goal to offer any help they could to make his transformations easier. The full moons had often left him with a litter of new scars as he had nothing to take out his aggression on but himself when he had been cooped up in that small shack, it took quite a toll on him. Every morning after the transformation was over his friends would wake up before the crack of dawn to sneak out to the shack. They would bring bandages, blankets, and his personal favourite; chocolate. However upon seeing their friends battered body they had always desired to do more for him, this in turn lead them to research other ways to help Remus. The sheer shock had nearly paralyzed Madam Pince when she discovered James and Sirius quietly researching books at a table in her library. It had taken her two whole weeks of watching them like a hawk as they poured over various texts for her to determine that they were not in fact up to their usual tricks. However, despite her careful watch of the two boys she neglected to actually notice the books they were so interested in. In their hours of research James had been the one to discover that a werewolf bite would not affect other animals. This lead them to stumble upon the idea of becoming animagi- a wizard or witch who could transform into an animal at will. The notion of becoming an animagus at such a young age was simply unheard of. It often took wizards nearly their entire lives to perfect the skill. His friends had mastered it in just over three years. Through sheer determination the boys had pushed themselves to their limits to master the skill, not to say that this was done without any hiccups. Remus could distinctly recall a time where Peter had been stuck with a rat tail for a solid week before finally managing to rid himself of the extra appendage. Just nearing the completion of their fifth year the boys had managed to become fully fledged animagi. Sirius had been the first to perfect his form of a large black dog, followed shortly by James who had become a regal stag. And only a few weeks after, Peter had gained the ability to transform into a rat. If they had been properly registered by the Ministry, Remus was positive they would be the youngest animagi in history. It truly was a feat of sheer genius. However, Remus thought with contempt upon looking at the three animals before him 'genius' was hardly the word that came to mind.

"By Merlins beard! What in bloody blazes are you three doing?! What if it hadn't been me who walked in? How were you planning to explain three animals galavanting around the common room?" Remus said in an exasperated tone while pinching the bridge of his nose. At his words the massive canine jumped towards the nearest bed before morphing into his friend midway through.  
"Relax Remus! James put charms on the doors to keep anyone thats not us out way back in second year." Sirius said with a smirk gesturing over to James who had now transformed back to his human form and was sitting on the ground covered by the curtain that had previously been entangled in his antlers.  
"Yeah, nothing to worry about mate!" He said throwing off the red fabric and adjusting his glasses. Remus scoffed before seating himself on his own bed as Peter let his rotund form slide down the bannister he had climbed up.  
"What if I had been with someone?" Remus said with a pointed look at the three.  
"Like who? Marleeeene!" Sirius said with a wink nudging James who had joined him on his bed. Peter snickered at Sirius' words, but that was typical for him. Pete had always been seeking Sirius' approval since back in first year. While everyone considered Peter a friend Sirius had a bit of a habit as treating him as the groups personal whipping boy. Then again, he supposed the all had at some point or another. Peter didn't seem to mind all that much he was more or less happy to be included and he knew his friends would have his back in any given situation.  
"No not like Marlene." Remus snapped back before continuing in a heavier tone. "Listen I need to talk to you about that."  
"Looking for girl advice there Moony? You've come to the right place!" James quipped with a large grin, puffing out his chest in a manner that was both joking and typically arrogant James.  
Sirius let out a loud snort at his words.  
"You're hardly any expert Prongs! Tell me when was the last time you spoke to Evans without her trying to hex your bullocks off?" He said with a laugh before shoving James off the bed.  
"No, no it's nothing like that. I need you to lay off Marlene alright?" Remus said looking sternly at the other occupants in the room.  
"Oh come on Moony we're just providing you with opportunities to play the hero. You know, help pick up her books and what not. Stuff to make you look good." James said picking himself up off the floor and lightly smacking Sirius upside the head before sitting down on his own bed.  
"Well, that's not how she sees it. She thinks we're bullying her. Something to do with Sirius and some sort of tree." Remus said mildly confused before casting a glance over at Sirius' lounging form. At Remus' words Sirius burst out in his barking laughter.  
"Pfft! We're hardly bullying anyone, she's just being over sensitive. It's nothing but a few harmless pranks. Besides she got her precious tree back." Sirius said with a thoughtful grin, recalling the events under the old oak.  
"Sirius she's genuinely upset about this. She was crying!"  
"Well thats just stupid! She really needs to learn to toughen up at some point. Merlin Moony you fell for a barmy one. Crying because of a couple little practical jokes." Sirius said with a scoff.  
"I didn't- She's not barmy! Marlene is just... more fragile than other people." Remus defended with a sharp look in Sirius' direction.  
"Hope she can handle all your wolfy love bites!" Peter called with a lecherous grin making all the other boys laugh.  
"I don't even like her like that! I was just saying it to get you guys off my back! I didn't think you'd actually meet her!" Remus voiced as his cheeks began to burn at the thought. Remus had never been comfortable when conversation drifted in to this sort of territory. "She's just a friend." He continued.  
"Alright Moony we'll lay off. You really need to find yourself a bird someday though." James replied reaching into his trunk to grab his polishing kit, before setting away to shining the new Cleansweep 500 his parents had given him for his birthday.  
"What?! Oh come on Prongs we were just having a little fun! Besides she going to need to develop a thicker skin at some point. There are worse things out there than us." Sirius finished in a dark tone. The rooms atmosphere became heavy as the three boys thought of the events that had been popping up in the Daily Prophet. There had been a series of planned attacks on muggle born individuals in the Wizarding Community that appeared to be connected to a particular group. The attacks had become more frequent as of late and had set many wizards on edge, it was clear something was brewing in their midsts. Most recognized it was only a matter of time before an all out war ensued.  
"Well we hardly have reason to be the ones to give it to her. We barely know the girl. She's sensitive to this sort of stuff." Remus said softly breaking through the silence.  
"S'not like she's made of glass Moony!" Sirius replied in an aggravated tone.  
"She's a nice girl Sirius, leave her alone."  
"Fine, fine! We'll leave her alone. But you know... she might be tougher than you give her credit for Moony." He said with a devilish smirk as he thought of the sour look on her face and knocking knees, as she confronted him for enjoying his cigarette. Remus replied with a pointed look as if telling him not to push this theory. With light chuckle Sirius proceeded to walk over to ruffle Remus' hair earning an annoyed yelp as he tried to fix it back into some semblance of tidy. Eventually the boys fell into their usual routine of goofing about with one another.  
As if unconsciously sensing that she would no longer be under fire, Marlene McKinnon slept soundly that night.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a surprisingly hot afternoon at Hogwarts despite that it was in the middle of fall. The Sun's rays burned down on the grounds of Hogwarts. Prompting the young witches and wizards to remove the heavy dark cloaks that they normally adorned proudly bearing their respective house sigil. However the heat had clearly prevailed as most of the students and even a select few of the faculty wore light summer shirts in an effort to embrace the beautiful obscure weather. Yes it was a lovely day, or it would have been for Marlene had it not been for one small factor that had set her in a foul mood. Today marked the first day of Care of Magical Creatures.

While most students tended to enjoy the opportunity to be outside and interact with the strange creatures inhabiting the wizarding world. Marlene would much rather be locked away in a dusty library far away from where any of said creatures could potentially bite, scratch, burn, tackle, poke or generally maim. It wasn't that she disliked the creatures, for in her opinion it would be rather silly to dislike something for merely existing. She would just much rather they exist somewhere farther away from where she did. She partially blamed her irrational fear, and dislike of the class on Professor Kettleburn himself, as she had witnessed him lose a thumb to a nasty entanglement with a Blast-Ended Skrwet back in first year. However Care of Magical Creatures was a mandatory part of the curriculum up until the completion of sixth year.

Thus Marlene found herself trudging towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest where a number of sixth year students had begun to gather despite the class not starting for another fifteen minutes. She could only assume it was to take advantage of the mysteriously beautiful weather they had been graced with. Some students milled about and chatted with friends while others sought a moment to relax and lay sprawled out on the grass basking in the Suns warm glow. Marlene had found a stump to plop herself down on at the outskirts of where the students had gathered, as she dug through her bag, searching for a book, to catch up on some of her reading.

The calm atmosphere was soon shattered by obnoxiously loud shouts and the thunderous barking of a large hound. The heads of students whipped over to see the source of the ruckus and none were remotely surprised to see the Muaraders making their way towards the rest of the class with the grounds keepers oversized puppy Fang. Who was delightfully weaving himself in between the four boys, jumping around and nipping at their heels in a playful gesture. The boys in turn seemed to catch on to the game and we're making half hearted attempts to dodge the big mass of fur while coaxing Fang to have another go at them again. Sirius in particular seemed to love playing with the huge dog as he ran around the field getting Fang to chase him letting him get just close enough before abruptly switching his direction to throw the dog off his tail once more.

Marlene felt a brief moment of panic at the sight of the approaching boys. While Remus had been true to his word and managed to keep the boys off her back the past week or so, she still was not eager to test her luck and had maintained her effort to avoid the pranksters lest she end up with a new rip in her already ragged book bag. In an effort to make herself as obscure as possible, Marlene buried herself further into her reading. However, this may have worked a little to well as she felt a giant mass slam into her side and knock her right off the stump she had originally been perched on. Marlene felt as though she had gotten the wind knocked out of her and proceeded to simply lay on the patch of grass that had been kind enough to slightly cushion her fall.

"Sirius Black! You toe rag! Look what you did!" Marlene heard someone screech, somewhere to the left of her. "If you're going to rough house with the dog at least show some consideration to the people around you!" It was then that the bright red hair that could only belong to Lily Evans hovered over Marlene's line of vision.

Lily Evans was a very pretty girl with a tall slim build, striking green eyes and bright flaming red hair it was no wonder she had garnered a fair share of silent admirers. The "silent" part was largely due to the fact that gorgeous as she was not many had the guts to incur the wrath of a jealous James Potter. It was not hard to figure out the culprit responsible for the odd misfortunes that came to anyone dating Lily Evans. Lily had most certainly been quite furious to discover her last boyfriend stuck to the ceiling by his ankle in the great hall wearing nothing but his drawers. Despite being pretty, intelligent and having a set of morals that made her the golden compass of the Hogwarts student body- when it came to James Potter particularly, Lily had a fiery raging temper. The Great Hall stint alone had earned James 3 weeks worth of detentions cleaning the dungeons with a tooth brush.

"Are you alright Marlene?" Lily said as she offered the girl sprawled on the ground her dainty hand.  
"M'Okay." Marlene mumbled grabbing the outstretched hand and hoisting herself off the ground. "Thanks Lily." she offered with a shy smile. Lily ever the Mother Hen took it upon herself to help brush the dirt off Marlene's back and inspect the smaller girl for any bumps or bruises.  
"Sorry 'bout that McKinnon! Didn't see you there!" Sirius called with a small snicker as he looked at the girl now covered in dirt and grass stains. Marlene was more than positive she looked like she had just come out of a battle with the Whomping Willow. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Remus shoot Sirius a less than impressed glare before rolling his eyes and returning to the book he was invested in.  
"S'Oka-" Marlene began with a blush burning on her features at her bedraggled appearance before being interrupted by the fiery redhead.  
"It most certainly is not okay! Honestly you boys have no regard for anyone but yourselves! Come on Marlene you can come over here and sit with Dorcas and I away from the baboons." Lily said haughtily as she linked arms with Marlene and proceeded to half drag the girl to where her and Dorcas had settled.

"You a'right there McKinnon?" Dorcas questioned in her thick Scottish brogue. "From here looked like, Ol' Sirius sent a wee lil' thing like you flyin' a good couple o' feet."  
"Honestly if those boys paid half as much attention to their surroundings as they did to their stupid pranks!" Lily growled as she watched the boys continue their game with the dog, just as carefree as ever.  
"M'alright, it probably looked much worse than it was." Marlene mumbled with a shy smile as she adjusted her posture on the grass to sit more comfortably between the two girls.  
"Honestly though, they could at least make an effort to act their age instead of behaving like a bunch of toddlers in Honey Dukes." Lily replied with a sour look in the direction of James as he had taken to rolling around in the grass with Fang, a boyish smile lighting up his features. "If I had it my way none of them wou-" Lily began again before she was cut off by the untimely arrival of professor Kettleburn.  
"Good day class I assume you are all enjoying this wonderful weather we are having." The man said cheerily as he hobbled towards the group, shouldering most of his weight on his good leg as the other had apparently been lost on a dragon tracking expedition in Romania. Now only a simple peg remained that looked as though it had once belonged on the end of an old tarnished muggle dining table. As the students began to gather around, Professor Kettleburn once again spoke up to relay the lesson plan for the day. Much to Marlene's dismay.

"Today I thought we would start our sixth year off with a truly marvellous creature! But be warned folks it is not one to be taken lightly. This is sixth year folks we are dealing with much more than simple Doxies and Grindylows." The Professor boomed as he began to wave his wand about before pointing it sharply at the empty space next to him. With a loud crack a large cage popped into existence. Excited murmurs rose to an all time high around the young witches and wizards, while Marlene felt herself go green as she recognized the massive beast that was trapped inside the cage from one of her many books.  
"Now," Kettleburn toned as he looked over the intrigued faces of his students. "Who can tell me the name of this spectacular creature?" He asked in a light manner while tapping his wand on the metal bars that housed the great beast, making the creature within snap in his direction.

Predictably Lily's hand shot into the air before the rest of the students and Kettleburn granted her a nod to continue. "It's an Occamy, Professor." Lily began in a matter of fact tone. "Often described as a cross between a serpent and a bird these creatures are native to the Far East and India. They are known to be very territorial of their eggs."  
"Excellent Ms. Evans 10 points to Gryffindor." Kettleburn said with flourish before continuing with the lesson. "Now, the Occamy lives off of rats, birds and the odd monkey or two. As Ms. Evans mentioned before they are extremely territorial and difficult to approach due to their eggs. However, these eggs are highly coveted due to their shells which are made out of the softest and most pure form of silver. Thus today we will be learning the proper way to approach one of these Occamy."

Marlene felt as though she was going to be sick. Approach that!? Had the Professor gone completely mad!? She took a second to look up at the great beast, which took that opportune moment to let out a massive screech that frightened a few birds out of their perches on the trees above. It truly was an intimidating creature. With a head resembling that of a bird, and the body of a snake that connected to 2 feet possessing large talons. It's wings were folded and held close to its scaly body but anyone could easily determine that they would be massive when spread out to their full span. As the Professor began to demonstrate the proper way to approach an Occamy by crouching low with slow calculated movements, Marlene felt herself tremble at the thought of being so close to such a creature. Cage or not the beast could easily stick its head out to snap at her through the bars of its temporary prison. After demonstrating the appropriate technique a few more times and answering the odd question here and there the Professor allowed the students to take turns approaching the cage. Some were more hesitant than others but eventually all students had managed to have a turn at approaching the great beast. All except one.

"Marlene have you not gone yet?" Lily questioned as she turned to the girl huddled in a ball with her knees to her chest and an iron grip around them, no colour in her face to bespoken of. It was evident to anyone that Marlene was terrified of approaching the cage. With a sympathetic look Lily went to take a seat beside the trembling girl.  
"You know it's really not all that intimidating up close." She began in a gentle tone. "Those idiots over there even managed to stick their hand in the cage with it." she said as she gestured over to Potter and his group of lackeys where they appeared to be having a boisterous argument over who had managed to get the closest, Peter even loudly exclaiming that he had managed to touch its tail.  
"Sometimes when you confront the things that scare you most you realize that they weren't all that scary in the first place. If you want I can go with you?" Lily gently prodded with a smile as she extended her hand for Marlene to take. Although Marlene was sceptical, she was genuinely touched by Lily's offer to help her face her hesitance in going near the creature. Perhaps she was right in these times there were much more fearful things than an Occamy, how would she confront them if she could not simply be in the presence of a mere bird. With a little reluctance she gradually extended a quivering palm to Lily and let herself be hoisted into standing. With a big grin Lily lead her over until they both stood a few meters away from the cage.  
"The trick is to stay low to the ground and no sudden movements or loud sounds." Lily said as she crouched low letting Marlene copy her stance before slowly and steadily moving towards the creature as many in the class had done before her.  
'Slow and steady.' Marlene chanted like a mantra in her head as she kept as low to ground as her crouch would allow her chancing a glance up at the creature every once in a while her grip on Lily's hand tightening as they slowly got closer to the cage.  
"Would you look at that Avery that little Gryffindork is scared of the wittle birdy! Look at her she's shaking like a leaf! So much for house of the brave!" An obnoxious tone called out followed by some snickers. Marlene lowered her head in embarrassment as her movements halted following the nasty remark. She saw Lily ahead of her whip her head around to glare at the group of Slytherins who had uttered the remark, before turning to face Marlene with soft reassurance.  
"Don't listen to them, it's just Mulciber, Avery and their gang of bafoons! What you're doing is very brave! Facing something head on despite being scared is the making of a true Gryffindor."  
At Lily's words Marlene gave a small smile in return and with a shaky breath continued to slowly approach the Occamy, ignoring the taunting snickers from the group of Slytherins.

Upon approaching the perimeter of cage, the Occamy had merely glanced in the direction of the two witches before turning away becoming disinterested, clearly not seeing them as an immediate threat. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a disaster as the two witches crouched beside the Occamy. She felt a sense of pride at allowing herself to make it this far. With a nervous hesitance Marlene slowly lifted her hand to place it on the metal bars that trapped the creature. All had been going well thus far until a loud bang and a bright flash of lime green light thundered from directly beside the two witches.

With a sharp bang and a flash of light the once docile Occamy quickly became affronted. Whipping its head towards the nearest possible threats, which happened to be Marlene and Lily, it began a loud squawking, flapping its massive wings as much as the enclosed cage would allow. It's head darting through the bars in an effort to snap at the two girls with its sharp beak nearly nipping off Marlene's fingers which had come to rest on the cool steel of the bars encasing the beast, before she quickly retracted her hand. Before either of the shocked girls could react they were shoved backwards by Professor Kettleburn whom intervened by placing himself in between the two witches and the agitated Occamy. As the Professor tried to soothe the creature the girls scampered backwards as the howling laughter of the Slytherins reached their ears. Once at a safe distance Marlene felt herself go into a horrified state of shock as she sat on the ground shaking in fear, not trusting her legs to have the strength to move. Her eyes wide as she attempted to calm herself out of her petrified state that the experience had left her in. Lily was much quicker to recover from the brief shock as she quickly stormed over to the cackling Slytherins who were congratulating Mulciber on his spell that had frightened the creature.

"Look at the little one she looks about ready to cry!" One of the Slytherins howled through his laughter pointing to where Marlene remained stationary.  
"What the bloody bullocks was that! We could have been seriously hurt!" Lily shrieked at the Slytherins who only proceeded to laugh harder at her rage.  
"Oh come on Evans it was joke don't get your knickers in a twist! Besides I don't think Occamy's like the taste of Mudblood!" Avery sneered through his snickers. Before Lily could even react to the slur, Avery was tackled onto his back, only to be met with James Potter's fist bashing into his face. If there was one thing you did not do, it was slander the good name of Lily Evans in the presence of James Potter.  
"Say it again you slimey git! I dare you!" James roared as he continued to pummel Avery into the ground. The first blow had been made and this started a chain reaction of events. Mulciber reached over to throw James off of Avery but was stopped from a well placed stinging jinx courtesy of Sirius Black, the two began engaging in a duel and a few misfired hexes were quick to involve the surrounding Gryffindor and Slytherin student body. Remus was originally trying to remain as impartial as possible, due to his prefect status, by simply reflecting the Slytherins own jinxes back at them. However he eventually appeared to become frustrated with this strategy and with a small shrug began firing jinxes of his own with renewed fervour, while Peter was making good on the method of sending hexes flying left and right in hopes of hitting something.  
Pretty soon the situation had gotten wildly out of control, as the Care of Magical Creatures class had turned into an all out brawl between Slytherins and Gryffindors with the Marauders spear heading the assault. James continued to duke it out with Avery using his fists rather than magic. Sirius had adopted James' approach and was now proceeding to go blow for blow with Mulciber, while Peter continued to send jinx after jinx to various Slytherins before eventually being hit with a bat bogey hex himself. Even Remus could be seen casting a few less than pleasant hexes on a few Slytherins when the opportunity arose, while shielding himself from other spells whizzing around on the grounds. Lily shrieked on the sidelines for everyone to cease fighting in an effort to establish some control as a prefect, while Marlene remained rooted to her spot on the grass watching the jaw-dropping chaos ensue, her fear forgotten.

Eventually Kettleburn, realizing the madness taking place behind him took control of the situation separating the brawling houses to either side of the clearing with the wave of his wand and hauling the main parties involved off towards the castle. Unfortunately for Marlene this included her. As Kettleburn ranted and raved about the 'despicable and barbaric' behaviour he had witnessed, Marlene stuck close to Lily on their walk to the castle. She knew it was unlikely her and Lily would face any sort of punishment as they were more than likely there to help establish what exactly had happened, neither of them being directly involved in the fighting.

Lily looked furious and exasperated as she marched towards the castle, Marlene struggling to keep up with her brutal pace. The Marauders walked in a grouping together to the left of Marlene and Lily, next to the Professor, looking quite satisfied with themselves as the Slytherins on the opposite side to Kettleburn looked infinitely worse for wear. While neither party had come out unscathed- with James and Sirius donning a few scrapes and scratches here and there, and Peter with the odd bogey bat flying from his nostril cavities. The Slytherins however looked almost unrecognizable with various bruises and hexes marring their features, Avery appeared more black and blue than anything else and Marlene highly doubted he would be able to see out of his one eye which had swelled up dramatically. Catching her looking at him, his already disfigured features twisted in to an even more unsettling picture as Avery sent a dark glare Marlene's way. The malice behind it combined with the swelling in his face made her shiver, before the gruesome expression was abruptly blocked from her vision by a pair a broad shoulders. She looked up to see Sirius had fallen a few steps behind the Marauders, blocking the Slytherins view of her and matching his glare with a scathing look of his own. Avery's glare became menacing before he scoffed and once again resumed looking towards the castle. Sirius held his gaze on the figure before he too resumed looking ahead and picked up his pace to catch up with his friends who were still being lectured by Kettleburn. Lacing his fingers behind his head he made his way beside Remus, who was nursing a sprained wrist, and adopted a lackadaisical stroll unbefitting of the tongue lashing he was receiving.

As the rag tag group arrived at the castle, the Marauders and Slytherins grimaced when they realized that their respective head of houses were already waiting for them and they did not look the least bit pleased with the approaching group. Marlene did not think it was possible for Slughorn to look angry and admittedly the result was almost comical. His once neatly groomed locks were in a slight disarray, his face was flushed red and his arms were crossed tightly over his pudgy figure. His jovial features were unsuited to be arranged in the frown that currently marred his face. However, where Slughorn in anger looked comical, McGonagall made up for by looking down right terrifying. Her strict features pulled tight into a menacing glare that would put the fear of Merlin into the most audacious of wizards. Even the Marauders for all their bluster had the decency to look nervous as they approached her imposing figure.  
"Never in all my years, have I encountered such blatant disregard for school rules by students as those here before me today!" McGonagall's shrill voice cut through the air like a knife. "Now we are going to get to bottom of this right here, right now upon which Professor Slughorn and I will dole out punishment as we see fit."

As each group recounted their version of the events in the Care of Magical Creatures Class, a foggy version of the truth began to emerge between the tales. Feeling she had enough to pass judgement on with a heavy sigh McGonagall rubbed her temples as she determined how to deal with the mess that had landed in her lap.  
"Well it appears that both parties have acted despicably in this instance. Ms. Evans, Ms. McKinnon thank you both for your testimonies. I apologize you both had to be involved in this, and of course you both are exempt from any punishment. Mr. Avery I suggest you head to the hospital wing and have Madame Pomfrey examine your face. I'm sure your housemates will be capable of informing you of your punishment." At this Sirius let out a snicker and nudged James who was wearing a smug smirk, which earned them both a disapproving glare from McGonagall. Avery stormed passed the group making a point to bump shoulders with any Gryffindor he passed on his way to the infirmary.  
"Now," McGonagall began while surveying the group. "As for the rest of you involved in the fighting, in addition to a deduction of 50 points from each house, you will be receiving detentions with either Professor Slughorn or myself for the remainder of the month and will be prohibited from attending any Hogsmede trips or Halloween festivities for the remainder of the month." A course of groans echoed in protest following the punishment. "I would hope this would prevent any further discrepancies in the future but considering the group of individuals," she paused to glance in the direction of the Marauders "I will expect a formal 3 foot apology letter on my desk by this evening reflecting on your disgraceful behaviour. You are all dismissed and I will see you for your first detention at 7pm sharp tonight." With that the Professors left the students standing in the middle of the hallway.

Like the flick of the switch, as soon as the Professors had rounded the corridor and were out of sight, the hostility between the two opposing houses that had been quelled in the presence of authority resumed with renewed vigour. The animosity was clear as the boys proceeded to stare each other down in a testosterone fuelled match of who would make the first move. The tension in the air was practically palatable.  
"This isn't nearly over." Mulciber said in a haughty tone. "Next time there won't be any Professors around to save you."  
"Oh I'm counting on it." James replied in his own cocky tone with a smug smile on his bespectacled face.  
"That's quite enough from all of you!" Lily said in a firm tone as she stepped between the two males. Disapproval marring her pretty features. "I think we've had more than enough fighting over your male egos. Let's all just let this go and head back to the common rooms." The two boys remained glaring at one another as Lily sought to calm the tension.  
"James please." She said in a much softer tone and it was only then did James break his gaze from Mulciber and look down to the female between them. With a reluctant sigh he dropped his tense posture and turned to head back towards the Gryffindor common room, the rest of the Marauders gathering in tow with a few more dirty looks towards the Slytherins.  
"How touching," Mulciber crooned in a mocking tone. "A blood traitor taking orders from a filthy mu-" Unfortunately his insult was abruptly cut off as he found his lips stuck together. The Marauders whipped around at the insult only to look at one another confused as to who had cast the jinx on the obnoxious Slytherin before their eyes rested on Lily who had her wand pointed in the ghastly boys direction.  
"I said, that's enough." She said in a dangerous tone before storing her wand back into her robes and turning to catch up with the boys. "Come on Marlene lets go back to the common room I could go for a cup of tea myself. How about you?"  
And with that Lily grabbed a stunned Marlene's tiny wrist gently pulling her along walking past the shell shocked Marauders with a tiny smile as though she hadn't cursed someone a moment before.  
As the Slytherins scampered behind them to undo Lily's jinx, the Marauders watched the two girls head down the hall, Lily chatting away pleasantly and Marlene looking extremely confused.  
"What a woman." James said with a goofy grin on his face, watching the red headed figure strolling down the hall. The suns rays catching in her locks making the colour even more vibrant. Yes it was safe to say James Potter was simply smitten with Lily Evans.


	4. Chapter 4

Remus rolled his neck, hearing the satisfying pops and cracks as he felt some of the tension release itself. Truly it had been an exhausting week between serving detentions for the debacle in Care of Magical Creatures and the prefect rounds he now found himself on, Remus was steadily wearing himself down. He found himself to be very quick tempered as todays detention had involved scrubbing the cauldrons used in potions class. It was much more physically demanding than one might think as the gunk left behind from previous potions had solidified to the sides creating a grimy coating that was difficult to remove without the use of magic. James and Sirius' antics had begun to grate on his nerves as the two were more interested with seeing who could lift more cauldrons than actually cleaning them, leaving Peter and himself to do most of the work. The approaching full moon also did nothing to help his mood. Rubbing his eyes with the balls of his hands he pushed the thought aside. He found that focusing on his impending transformation always set him into a spiral of negative thoughts and that would only encourage his foul mood.

Tonights watch had also been rather uneventful normally he would catch the occasional fourth year out breaking curfew or some fifth years hooking up in a broom closet. Or Sirius on the odd occasion. Tonight however proved to be extremely quiet, not that he would have minded under normal circumstances but it was dreadfully boring. Remus' thoughts were interrupted by a loud creaking sound that came from the corridor to his left. Rounding the corner he was met with the sight of a small figure slowly closing the large door that lead to the library. The figure looked around suspiciously before catching sight of him approaching and freezing in place. With his head held high Remus prepared himself to confront the student with a lecture on Hogwarts rules regarding curfew.  
"You know it's far past curfew. What house are yo- Marlene?" Remus' firm tone transformed into utter puzzlement as he recognized the blonde mop of hair before him.  
"O-oh! Remus! Thank goodness it's only you." Marlene began with a sigh of relief. "I-I'm sorry I know it's late but I-I have a paper due this week I've been struggling with a-and I lost track of time. I honestly wasn't trying to sneak around past curfew"  
Nodding his understanding Remus gave her a small smile. Marlene wasn't exactly the type to cause trouble and he was hardly going to punish her for an honest mistake. Especially after some of the not so honest mistakes he had let slide when his friends were involved.  
"Quite alright Marlene happens to all of us. People who sneak around normally don't do so in the library." He lightly teased with a wink causing Marlene to blush at her own nervous behaviour.  
"If you like I can escort you back to the common room so you don't get caught by another prefect." Remus began as he gestured for her to follow him. With a grateful smile Marlene fell into step with the taller boy.

"So what is this paper that's giving you so much trouble. Maybe I can help?" He said amicably as the pair strolled through the corridors towards the Gryffindor commons.  
"It's for transfiguration, on werewolves actually. About the difference between transfiguration through magic and through actual lycanthropy." Marlene said oblivious to how her companion had tensed and nearly tripped over his own two feet at her mention of the furry creatures. "Do you know much about them?" She continued glancing up at him, her big blue orbs unaware of his discomfort. 'Oh the irony.' thought Remus with chagrin as he recalled the harrowing experiences of his transformations. The twisted sounds his body would make as one by one his bones shattered, only to reset themselves in a new more gruesome form. The fire that spread along his skin as fur burst forth from his pale flesh. His claws ripping into said skin as he tried without success to quell the pain. The slow decent into darkness as the mind of a savage beast took over all rationality. Yes, he was all too familiar with the process of the transformation. Every horrific second of it.  
"No. No I don't." Remus said through clenched teeth purposefully taking larger strides to avoid looking at the girl falling behind him. His clipped tone bringing a look of confusion to Marlene's face as she tried to fathom the reason behind his sudden coldness. 'Perhaps,' Marlene pondered briefly. 'Perhaps he is bothered by me. Honestly I wouldn't blame him. Despite barely knowing him I all but begged him to stick up for my behalf against his best friends. And bless his soul he did.' Marlene thought with a soft smile as she stared at the tense figure of Remus continuing his way down the hall. 'Honestly, Marlene get it together you can't simply rely on this boy to do your homework too.' She continued with a grimace as she prepared herself to form an apology to the boy.  
"I-I didn't mean to be a bother." She began softly, so much so her tiny voice almost didn't reach Remus' ears. "I know I've been asking quite a bit of you lately Remus. I-I really didn't mean to cause you any trouble, but... Thank you Remus. It couldn't have been easy to get the others to stop teasing me. A-and you've been so kind to me I-I'm honestly not quite sure what I've done to deserve it. I-I really didn't mean to burden you with more of my troubles, I'm sorry a-and thank you." She unwillingly cringed at the sound of her own broken awkward apology.  
Remus stopped in his tracks turning to look at the girl behind him. At her visible discomfort Remus let out a heavy sigh.  
"Sorry Marlene I didn't mean to snap at you I'm just a bit grumpy tonight. Really, you're no bother at all. We're friends aren't we? Friends help each other out!" He said with a soft smile.

**CHAPTER INCOMPLETE**


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